The bioactive compounds proceraside A, frugoside and calotropin, which were extracted from the root bark of Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton (family Asclepiadaceae), were recently reported to inhibit the growth of inhibition against various human cancer cell lines in vitro. However, their modes of action have not been clearly defined.

We investigated the effects of BCL2 transfection on the cell cycle and proliferation of GES-1 cells. A pcDNA3-BCL2 plasmid was used to transfect GES-1 cell line human gastric epithelial cells. Clones were obtained by G418 screening. BCL2-positive cells were identified by fluorescence immunohistochemistry. The pcDNA3-BCL2 vectors carrying the NeoR gene were transfected into GES-1 cells, while the empty plasmid was transfected into the same cells as controls. BCL2-positive clones were screened by neomycin 418 (G418).